Fargo officials prep for flooding

FARGO, N.D. (AP) Fargo officials say they have more than enough sandbags in reserve to handle flooding if the current National Weather Service predictions hold up.

A flood outlook released last month by the weather service says the Red River at Fargo and Moorhead, Minn., has a 70 percent of topping 30 feet and a 5 percent chance of cresting near 38 feet. Flood stage is 18 feet.

Fargo officials say about 101,000 sandbags would be needed to hold back the water if it approaches 38 feet. The city currently has 750,000 filled sandbags left over from the 2011 flood.

Mike Lukes, spokesman for the weather service in Grand Forks, says this week's snow storm will likely bump up the risk of flooding in the Red River Valley. He was not specific.